Mumbai: Former Maharashtra CM & Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray mentioned on Saturday that he has not yet been formally invited to the consecration ceremony of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. However, he said that a formal invitation is not necessary for him, as Lord Ram belongs to everyone, and he intends to visit the temple town in Uttar Pradesh whenever he deems fit.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been extending invitations to numerous notable figures and political leaders from across the country for the grand event.
Bal Thackeray's voting right was snatched for advocating Ram temple: Uddhav
Speaking to reporters here, Thackeray stated that Shiv Sena had engaged in a prolonged struggle for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He went on to mention that his father and the founder of Sena, Bal Thackeray, had his voting rights "snatched away" as a consequence of campaigning for the Ram Temple and Hindutva during a bypoll.
"I have not received any invitation yet and I don't need one to visit Ayodhya as Ram Lalla belongs to everyone. Whenever I feel like it, I will go. Shiv Sena had contributed a lot to the Ram temple movement," Uddhav Thackeray said.
Thackeray reminisced about his visit to Ayodhya during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Lord Ram not property of single party: Uddhav
In an apparent jibe at the BJP, Thackeray said, "I only expect that political event shouldn't be made out of it (the consecration ceremony). Lord Ram is not the property of any single party. This is the matter of faith for crores of people".
He also mentioned that the construction of the Ram temple was made possible by the Supreme Court's decision, and the Central government played no role in it.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut asserted that among the "top ten" individuals accused of demolishing the Babri mosque in 1992, Shiv Sainiks, including Bal Thackeray, are prominent. He claimed that a total of 109 Shiv Sainiks from Maharashtra are listed as accused in the demolition case.
The consecration ceremony is anticipated to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and over 6,000 individuals.
